-
-
Related
Battle in Seattle
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Martin Henderson, Charlize Theron, Michelle Rodriguez, Ray Liotta, Woody Harrelson
Director: Stuart Townsend
Six lives, Six Battles, One City. Based on Actual Events.
The slug line to this film and evocative imagery of masked protestors on the poster clearly indicate the battle lines for this film are being drawn up before you even enter the cinema.
It's November 1999 and a group of protestors converge on Seattle in protest of the World Trade Organisation's Ministerial Meeting - there's the conflicted Seattle Mayor (Ray Liotta who has the great line - "Be tough on the issues but gentle on my town") who, as a former protestor, wants to allow the mob to have its say; the police who are itching for law to be restored; the protestors (Martin Henderson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jennifer Carpenter and Andre Benjamin) who are determined to have their say peacefully - and just for good measure, a pregnant mum to be (Theron) and her cop husband (Harrelson) who'll be on the battle lines.
Trouble is within hours of the lines being drawn as a precursor to the violence, the powder keg is lit and events start to spiral out of control.
Actor Stuart Townsend's assembled a smart ensemble cast for this piece - and has done a pretty damn good job of interspersing footage from the actual demonstrations into the narrative of the piece.
However, while he's done admirably in humanizing the conflicts (a smart opening shows the damage done by the WTO and the reasons for the protests), he's a little ham fisted in other parts.
The protestors, police and mayor's stories all feel natural - unfortunately it's Theron's mum to be and her cop husband who feel like they've had their story crowbarred into events.
It's fairly obvious what's going to happen as the violence gets out of control (it's basic film 101 that if you set up a happy family they'll be torn asunder by the end of the film) and unfortunately by humanizing this side of the conflict, he's fallen into the usual trap of making it clichéd.
That aside, the rest of the film is a pretty compelling look at how factions develop and ideals are sacrificed in the heat of battle and when trapped in the crossfire of reality.
It's an earnest outing from Townsend and a smart attempt to intertwine the personal stories into a global fabric - as the credits roll at the end, it becomes clear this really is a piece of propaganda, designed to compel the masses to make a difference - and Townsend's dedication to the cause (along with his actors) will no doubt inspire some to work out how they too can change the world for the better.
